Deep Learning Engineer.
Madison.
$198,000
median salary, 1% below the national average
$153,000 to $252,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Deep Learning Engineer in Madison earns a median of $198,000 in 2026. That is 1% below the national average. The range runs from $153,000 to $252,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $178,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$129,000
to $158,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$168,000
to $208,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$218,000
to $257,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$248,000
to $307,000
Salary trend
+8% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $100,000 to the total package.
Base
$198,000
Equity
$61,000
Bonus
$27,000
Signing
$12,000
Estimated total: $298,000
Deep Learning Engineer salary by company
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings, SEC proxy statements, and aggregated self-reported data.
How Madison compares
Madison, WI
$198,000
Cost of living: 5% below average
National Average
$200,000
Madison is $2,000 below
Deep Learning Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Madison
What you should know
The Deep Learning Engineer landscape in Madison is not what most salary sites will tell you. Madison is a growing tech hub anchored by the University of Wisconsin and Epic Systems, one of the largest health IT companies. The city consistently ranks among the best places to live and has a thriving startup ecosystem. Salaries are competitive relative to the modest cost of living. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization. Engineers who have shipped production models at scale earn top-band salaries. Publications at NeurIPS or ICML and familiarity with distributed training frameworks like DeepSpeed further boost compensation.
Junior deep learning roles start at $120,000 to $145,000. Mid-level engineers earn $155,000 to $200,000. Senior and staff-level positions reach $220,000 to $300,000 base, with principal engineers at top labs exceeding $400,000 in total compensation. In Madison, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity is a major component at AI-focused companies, often representing 30 to 50% of total compensation. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 20% of base, with signing bonuses of $30,000 to $75,000 common for experienced hires. And on the tax side: wisconsin's top income tax rate is 7.65%. Madison has no city income tax. The moderate state rate is offset by the affordable cost of living and strong employer base. When someone quotes you $198,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference Epic Systems compensation benchmarks. Epic sets the salary standard for tech in Madison and most employers in the area compete against their packages. The range for Deep Learning Engineers in Madison runs from $153,000 to $252,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, 50+ job posting platforms. COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified April 8, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A AI Alignment Researcher in Madison earns $197,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Madison is Distinguished Engineer at $307,000
Common questions.
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